Chinese citizens refuse demolition of their homes - in pictures

Chinese citizens refuse demolition of their homes - in pictures

An elderly couple in Wenling, Zhejiang province, are the latest people in China to refuse to sign an agreement to allow their home to be demolished, resulting in the authorities building a planned road around the building.
Dingzihu is the Chinese term for households that refuse to move out during demolition and literally means 'nail house' – ie they stick out

Kunming, 2010: Zhao Xing, 58, collects water near his partially demolished house at a construction site in Yunnan province. Zhao refused to move because of unsatisfactory compensation for his property, even though the water and electricity supply had been cut

Shenzhen, 2007: A house stands isolated in the middle of a construction site in the business district of the city. The Hong Kong-born owner refused to move out, demanding more compensation from developers

Wuhan, 2010: Chinese farmer Yang Youde fires his homemade cannon on the outskirts of Wuhan, Hubei province. Yang uses the cannons, which are made out of a wheelbarrow, pipes and fire rockets, to defend his fields against property developers who want his land. Land seizures have been a problem for years in China, and have given rise to the term 'nail house' to describe a holdout tenant or occupant, likening them to a nail refusing to be hammered down

Hefei, 2008: A nail house at a construction site being developed for apartment blocks. The banner reads "strongly requesting the government to punish the developer who demolished my house, give back my home"

Changchun, 2010: Li Shuguang stands on top of his house with scissors, shouting and threatening the demolition team not to get closer. The local government marked the land in Chaoyang district of the city where Li's home and 36 others stand for development